Date: 02 Dec 2003 10:03:13
From: Dave L
Subject: CNN: Poker the Hottest Game on Television
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Here is the text, and link, to the poker article on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/02/tv.poker.ap/index.html
The hottest game on television
No matter where you turn, the cards come up poker
NEW YORK (AP) --Card playing -- an activity that filled the evening
hours before television was invented -- has improbably become one of
TV's hottest programming trends.
After less than a year, the "World Poker Tour" is already the Travel
Channel's most popular series ever, a status NBC Sports took note of
last week in announcing it would air a poker game on Super Bowl
Sunday.
Bravo, probably the most trend-conscious cable channel, beat World
Poker Tour operators to the punch by putting together the "Celebrity
Poker Showdown." The new series premieres December 2.
"It's surprisingly entertaining and exciting," said Jeff Gaspin,
Bravo's chief executive. "I was really taken aback. As a spectator
sport, you wouldn't think that much of it. It's really interesting."
Steve Lipscomb, CEO of the World Poker Tour, started his company in
October 2001 with the vision of creating a series of high-stakes games
in casinos, much like the professional golf tour.
Lipscomb, a lawyer turned television producer, thought it would make
exciting television. But even he admitted that most previous attempts
to film card games were so boring they were nearly impossible to
watch.
Seeking investment possibilities, he was laughed out of television
executive offices.
"There was no interest at all," he said. "Not only no interest, but
there was absolute disbelief that it would ever be interesting. It was
lower than bowling."
He found other investors, and decided to produce matches for
television himself.
Lipscomb spends between $350,000 and $400,000 per episode. Instead of
three or four cameras, he uses as many as 16, enabling viewers to see
every player's hand. Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten offer
play-by-play and commentary.
"There's never a moment when you're not in the middle of the action,"
Lipscomb said. "I believe it's fascinating to watch someone in the
middle of making a million-dollar decision when you can see what he
should or shouldn't do."
Poker version of 'Millionaire'
Burbling synthesizer music adds to the sense of excitement. Each
broadcast tries to create personalities, often to the point of cliche
("Gus Hansen, the Great Dane, has ice water in his veins," was heard
during one match).
The announcers try to make the game understandable so even non-poker
players can follow along. They don't quite succeed, but still create a
level of tension and anticipation.
One unusual draw is that virtually anyone can participate, making the
poker matches a version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," Lipscomb
said.
The big matches have entrance fees of thousands of dollars. But for
only $30, an amateur can enter qualifying tournaments with the prize
being a seat at the table for a major tournament.
Lipscomb persuaded the Travel Channel to take a chance on a 13-episode
series, and it started in March. A poker tournament may seem far
afield from the Travel Channel's mission, but the network knew that
any program it did about Las Vegas was popular, and trusted Lipscomb
because he had done documentaries for them before.
The show was an immediate success, even more so when the entire season
was repeated during the summer. The poker tournaments routinely draw
two to three times the audience of the channel's typical prime-time
fare.
The Travel Channel repeated the season a third time, and ordered a
"World Poker Tour Ladies Night" special to air December 10. A new
season begins in March.
"I was actually quite skeptical of this as a television vehicle," said
Rick Rodriguez, the Travel Channel's general manager. "The results
speak for themselves ... I guess it goes back to the old Westerns,
where so many key scenes happened around the poker table. There's so
much drama inherent in that."
Going against Super Bowl Sunday
NBC Sports struck a deal with the Travel Channel for its Super Bowl
Sunday special.
It will air opposite the endless round of Super Bowl pregame shows
(the football game is on CBS), as NBC tries to snare bored
channel-surfers.
NBC, which needs alternative sports programming since it has no
basketball, baseball or pro football, may try other poker events if
the Super Bowl Sunday show is successful, said Jon Miller, senior vice
president of programming for NBC Sports.
Miller, who said he's noticed poker becoming popular on college
campuses, will let World Poker Tour officials produce the NBC game.
"I think people really enjoy playing along," he said. "It's a lot like
being inside the huddle and hearing what the offense is going to call
and what the defense is going to call and seeing how it all works
out."
Success has begat the expected imitators. The Game Show Network has
announced "The World Series of Blackjack." ESPN has its own "World
Series of Poker." There's talk of investors wanting to start a gaming
network.
Lipscomb is particularly annoyed at Bravo, since he's trying to put
together his own series with celebrity players.
Two years ago, a $10,000 poker tournament at the Foxwoods Casino had
fewer than 60 players, he said. This year, there were 313 entrants.
"We have succeeded in branding poker," he said.
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